Nicole D. Collier grew up just south of Atlanta, GA, the only child of an accountant and a public school librarian. A graduate of Atlanta Public Schools, she taught fourth grade before becoming an author and personal development coach. She’s also a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant. 

Nicole’s writing illuminates the challenges and rewards that come from learning to be true to yourself. Her debut, Just Right Jillian (HarperCollins/ Versify, 2022), was nominated for several state book awards and was named a CCBC and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year.

Her sophomore project, The Many Fortunes of Maya (HarperCollins/ Versify, 2023), earned starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and was selected as a Book All Young Georgians Should Read. Her next middle grade, The Best Friend Bracelet, is forthcoming (2024) from HarperCollins/ Clarion.

She is a proud Rattler, a graduate of Florida A&M University (FAMU). She also earned an M.S. from Florida State University (FSU), a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia (UGA), and is a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant via the Red Clay Writing Project.

In all of her endeavors, Nicole is most passionate about helping people mine the wisdom, compassion and courage for change. A self-proclaimed ever-victorious woman, she’s been known to run, dance, and turn cartwheels on sunny days. The empty-nester currently resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband, Phillip.

School Visit Presentations – 45min to 60min per session

A Creative Life

Many people think the only way to be creative is to be born that way. Truth? No matter what you’re naturally good at, everyone can be creative. During an interactive presentation, Nicole talks about the creative problems she encounters when writing a book, and shows her favorite strategies to solve them. She includes insights into her writing process, addresses common misconceptions about creativity, and shares takeaways about how to live a more creative life. Includes shared reading of one or more passages and time for Q&A. Best for grades 3 and up

Write Your Own Fortune
A walkthrough of Nicole’s writing process including with photos of her writer’s notebook and excerpts from passages in progress. She gives a sneak peek of the editorial and cover design process. Great for all ages

Writer’s Workshop
Using passages from select mentor texts, students analyze and discuss key qualities before writing a short piece of their own. Workshops can also be focused on revising or critiquing with practical tips and protocols demonstrated. Can be customized to align with lesson plans or units. Best for grades 4 and up, 30 students or fewer

Writer- or Reader-in-Residence Multi-Day Programming

A former classroom teacher, Nicole loves co-teaching, or partnering with educators on curriculum goals to design a meaningful reading and writing experience. Best for grades 4 and up

For Adults

Parent Workshops or Teacher Professional Development

A former classroom teacher, and teacher educator and current leadership and personal development coach, Nicole is available for appearances with adults on a wide range of topics including: developing a love of reading, writing to examine your life, creative habits of mind, and more.

Testimonials

“We loved having Nicole visit our school and meet our grade three to six students. She did an outstanding job relating her books to our students! Her advocacy of being true to yourself resonated with so many of our students as they devoured her details of drawing inspiration from her experience. She also talked about how she crafted different characters and asked for students’ input for her new book, which excited the audience greatly. They felt as if Nicole was someone who “got” them and understood their social and emotional struggles. We can’t wait to read her next book!” – Jun Niu, Holton-Arms School

“Nicole was a fabulous speaker for our school’s virtual author event. Our entire school community read her book Just Right Jillian as part of our One School, One Book program. Her virtual visit with our staff and students was the perfect culminating event to celebrate a successful  program and hosting her virtually meant every student and staff member in our building could easily participate. She was warm, personable and shared with us about her journey to becoming an author in a way that resonated with our elementary students. I would highly recommend hosting Nicole for your next author visit.” – Natalie Johnston, Murphy Elementary

Website

Availability and Honorariums